


A Friend's Twisted Love

by ericsonclan



Series: A Pirate's Life For Me AU [15]
Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Battle, F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:14:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24817417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericsonclan/pseuds/ericsonclan
Summary: With nowhere to run, the Ericson Pirates must face off against the Delta Pirates and - worst of all - their former friend Minerva.
Relationships: Clementine/Louis (Walking Dead: Done Running), Prisha/Violet (Walking Dead: Done Running)
Series: A Pirate's Life For Me AU [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1683673
Comments: 4
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> (by Linnea)

Violet and Mitch stood frozen, unable to comprehend the scene before them. There Minerva stood on Lilly’s ship, trying to persuade them to switch sides.

“What the fuck, Minnie! There’s no way in hell we’re going over there!” Mitch growled, unable to believe how much his childhood friend had changed. 

“You don’t get it!” Minerva yelled. She took a step forward, her cavalry saber clinking against her hip. “This is how we can all be together again. If you just come with me then Lilly will tell us the spell. Sophie can be alive again!” 

“At what price? Minnie, this isn’t the way.” Violet's voice cracked as she looked towards her friend. “Please, we can work this out together! We don’t need Lilly or some spell.” 

Minerva stood there with a look of frustration. The grip on her cavalry saber hardened while she tried to comprehend what they were saying. Her face fell to the ground. 

The crew stood around in defensive positions, each of them prepared to attack at a moment’s notice. The tension felt almost suffocating. 

“You’re right.” Minerva finally spoke, looking up with sorrow painted on her face. Her eyes seemed to hold another emotion within them though.

Something was off. 

“This is the only way!” Her voice wavered as she quickly drew out her gun and aimed at Violet. 

“Vi!” Louis cried out, tackling her to the ground. The bullet flew past them, grazing Louis' arm in the process. The crimson blood seeped from his wound, falling slowly onto the deck. Louis checked to make sure Violet was okay before looking at the rest of the crew. “Protect the Fold of Four!” 

The crew quickly split off, pairing with each of the street rat kids. Louis and Marlon stood protectively in front of Violet. Clementine and AJ quickly ran over towards Tenn. Willy was guarded by Ruby and Omar. As for Mitch... 

“Really, I get Aasim? I’m going to have to protect him.” Mitch scoffed as he prepared for battle, unsheathing his dagger.

“Rude. Brody and I are here to help.” Aasim grumbled while he stood defensively by Mitch.

“Oh, if Brody’s here we’ll be fine.” Mitch’s smirk grew at Aasim’ annoyance, but the moment was soon over.

They noticed that the enemy crew had begun throwing grappling hooks to tie the ships together. One after another the hooks embedded into the side of the ship. An eerie tension rose higher and higher with each successful hook.

Willy quickly ran, trying to put Garbage in a safe spot. She hissed in defiance as she clung onto him. “Garbage, please!” Willy pleaded towards the possum who was having none of it. Willy gave an annoyed sigh. “Fine, but just stay put, okay?” Willy hid her in his shirt before running over to help man the cannons. 

The enemy’s crew started to swing over onto Ol’ Kickass. Their heavy boots clanged against the wooden deck, their eyes filled with malice and determination.

David stood on the enemy’s deck. “We want them alive. As for the rest of them, kill them if you have to! Now, move out!” he shouted as he landed on the ship. Abel laughed when he landed, attacking the first pirate he saw. Omar deflected the attack, sliding backwards from the impact.

“We have to go over there before more show up and swarm the ship.” Prisha yelled, deflecting attacks as she made her way towards Clementine. 

“Alright.” Clementine grunted while knocking out one of the enemy grunts. “Louis! I need you to cut the ropes tying the ships together.”

Louis turned towards his girlfriend’s voice. “But you’ll be stranded on the enemy’s ship!” His concerned tone matched his expression while he locked eyes with Clementine.

“You have to trust me on this.” 

Louis searched Clementine’s eyes before giving a solemn nod. 

Clementine returned the nod and turned back to face her friend. “Let’s go, Prisha!” 

“Mitch! Give us some cover!” Prisha motioned towards the starboard side of the enemy’s ship while she prepared to go over. He nodded, digging into his pouch to pull out some smoke bombs.   
Mitch threw them onto Lilly’s ship, praying that it would give enough cover for those who were going over there. The bombs landed with a small thunk before emitting thick grey fumes. 

As the smoke overtook the ship, Clementine and Prisha swung over, the wood underneath their feet creaking as they landed. Clementine quickly ran into Lilly who immediately drew both of her swords. “Just come along quietly and no one will get hurt.” Lilly’s voice took on a sickeningly condescending tone. 

Clementine’s eyes locked with her as she glared towards her enemy. “Not a chance, Lilly. I won’t let you take a single member of the crew!” Clementine dashed forward, her sword clanging against Lilly’s with a sharp screech as metal had hit metal.

“Have it your way!” Lilly swung her sword which clashed with Clementine’s, causing her to take a step back. “I’ll do whatever it takes!” Lilly used her other sword. It made its way directly towards Clementine’s lower abdomen. Clementine pushed off against Lilly’s rapier and slid backwards. Lilly didn’t give her a moment to spare as she lunged forward, forcing Clementine to take a defensive position earlier in the fight than she had anticipated. 

The sound of swords clashing echoed throughout the ship as Prisha made her way through the smoke. The silhouettes of pirates danced in the smoke, making them easier targets to knock out along the way. Mitch’s smoke bombs were efficient but they still made it brutal on the person walking through them. The sharp smoke cut at Prisha’s throat, making her cough as she roamed the ship. Suddenly she’d run into Minerva. Her presence made the hairs on Prisha’s arms stand up. 

Minerva stood there, her cavalry saber already drawn, ready to cut down anyone who stood in her path. 

Carefully Prisha drew her cutlass, hoping that she wouldn’t draw too much attention to its presence. “I’ve heard about you.”Prisha took slow, deliberate steps to better prepare herself for the inevitable battle. “I won’t let you take my friends.” 

Minerva’s face became twisted in hatred when she heard Prisha’s words. “What gives you the right to call them that!” Minerva’s hand shook with rage as she glared at Prisha. “I’m taking back my family! I’m going to protect my friends no matter the cost!” She swung viciously at Prisha who parried the blow. 

Prisha figured that her best chance to get the upper hand was a fast, brutal offensive, hoping that in the process she would find an opening. “How is hurting them going to protect them?” Prisha studied Minerva’s face as they fought. Her eyes danced with a disturbing belief in her own mission.

“Shut up! You don’t know anything!” Minerva jabbed her sword at Prisha who tried to sidestep in time to block it. 

But Minerva’s speed was faster than Prisha could have anticipated. The cavalry saber met with Prisha’s skin, slicing open her side. 

Prisha let out a sharp cry. Her feet instinctively tried to back away from any further attacks. She needed to create as much distance between her and her opponent as possible to regain her composure.

But Minerva read her move and in one fluid motion caught up to her. Minerva screamed out as she hit Prisha with the hilt of her sword. Prisha felt her head spin as her body fell to the ground. Her knees hit hard against the deck. A steady stream of blood was dripping from her side. A stinging sensation shot through her body as she tried to get up. Prisha froze for a moment, feeling an unsettling feeling before she looked up. 

Minerva stood before her. Before she could react, Minerva kicked Prisha’s hand, knocking the cutlass out of it. Slowly Minerva raised her blade and held it above, ready to strike. “I won’t let anyone stop me!” Minerva screamed, thrusting her arms down and causing the blade to fall.


	2. Chapter 2

Over on Ol’ Kickass, the Ericson crew was surrounded by chaos. Willy and Omar fired the cannons, trying to do some damage to the enemy’s ship. Willy’s feet scrambled back and forth, filling up the cannons and preparing them while Omar lit the fuse. Ruby’s brow was covered in sweat as her rapier fended off the group of enemies before them. Ruby was the last line of defense to the cannons and now three pirates were hovering over her. The grip on her rapier tightened as she swung for the first pirate, praying that the others were doing better.

Louis and AJ weren’t having much better luck as they switched between two jobs: protecting Tenn and cutting the grappling hooks off the ship. 

“AJ! How is it going?” Louis pushed back one of the enemies before kicking them overboard.

“I’m going as fast as I can!” AJ snapped back as his blade cut through another rope. His eyes wandered down the line of grappling hooks. There were still so many of them.

“Ey yo! What do you think you’re doing?” a voice towered behind AJ as his blade was cutting through a rope. 

Louis quickly turned around, shocked by the noise and concerned for AJ’s safety. He quickly fired a shot that landed directly into the left side of the pirate woman’s rump. 

She cursed as she turned around to see who’d shot her. 

Louis felt his blood turn cold as he saw the look in her eyes. Without another thought he quickly swung Chairles at her, frantically trying to keep her at bay. It seemed to do little to deter her from her goal of reaching him though. With each swing she came closer and closer before she grabbed his coat with one hand, lifting him up into the air. Louis kicked his feet desperately. His hands tried to pry her grip on his coat but to no avail. 

AJ jumped up onto the woman’s back. His small arms circled her neck before he bit down sharply on her ear. An unnatural crunch emitted from AJ’s mouth as his teeth cut through her ear. Within seconds half of her ear was gone. 

The woman let out an annoyed grunt as she threw AJ off. Her hand slowly reached up to check on her ear. 

AJ hit the side of the ship. He rolled forward before spitting out a bloodied mess that contained the piece of her ear. 

Rage filled the pirate’s sight as she dropped Louis.

Louis tried to reach out to AJ before a sharp pain took over his stomach as she kneed him in the gut. Louis gasped for air, desperately trying to cling to the woman and slow her down. One thought repeated in his head again and again: She can’t get near AJ or any of the crew.

The woman looked down at Louis with disdain before easily kicking him to the side. With one enemy out of the way, she made her way over to AJ.

He tried to hold his glare even though his eyes were filled with fear. 

Suddenly a soft thunk came from the back of her head. Reaching up a hand, the woman looked down to see an old roll spinning on the floor. She quickly spotted the culprit. 

Tenn was shaking as he drew his dagger. His hands quaked more and more with each passing second. 

The woman’s eyes shone with rage as she loomed over Tenn.

“Get the fuck away from him!” Violet hissed, swinging her meat cleaver towards the woman. Marlon was right beside Violet, joining the attack as well. His cutlass swung towards what he hoped was the woman’s blind spot. The woman deflected Marlon’s attack before sidestepping to dodge Violet’s. Marlon and Violet shared a worried looked. This was going to be a struggle. The pair worked in unison as they threw flurry after flurry of attacks towards their fearsome opponent. 

The two continued to attack, but she was still standing unyielding and unbending. She seemed unstoppable. Suddenly while blocking an attack by Marlon the lady’s legs gave out from under her. She reached out to try and grab the side of the ship, but another push had her falling straight into the sea.  
Louis and AJ rose shakily.

“Lou!” Violet ran over to Louis, checking his body for any injuries. “Are you okay?” 

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine. Just enjoying my free workout of the day.” Louis cracked a smile and gave a lighthearted laugh before his expression and tone grew serious. 

“Go help the others. AJ and I have got this handled.” 

Violet nodded in understanding and ran off in the direction of some nearby fighting. She looked around, her eyes trying to find the best place to help. Violet suddenly froze as she heard Prisha cry out in pain. Her cry rang out from across the other ship. Violet’s eyes shot over to see Prisha kneeling on the ground, her cutlass kicked to the side while her ribs oozed out blood that stained her shirt more with each passing moment.There standing in front of her was Minerva. She held her blade up, ready to end the life before her. 

Violet felt her heart stop. Her mind became consumed by a sickening feeling. No, this can’t be happening. “I’ve got to help Prisha!” Violet yelled, grabbing a nearby rope to swing over. 

“Vi! Shit!” Marlon cursed furiously as he tried to find a way to join her on the other side. His search paused, however, when a voice echoed from the other side of their own ship.

It was Aasim’s. “Mitch! Get back!” Aasim gestured to his friend while a figure appeared before him. A loud crash could be heard as David pinned Aasim against a wall. Aasim gasped for air from the impact.

“You’re brave, I'll give you that. But stupid.” David smirked as his hand reached up, wrapping around Aasim’s throat. Aasim struggled desperately, the lack of air quickly affecting his body. “But you won’t have to worry about it for long.” David’s face twisted into a smile. Brody and Mitch tried to make their way over to help 

Aasim but were immediately stopped by Abel.

“Now where do you think you’re going?” Abel looked at them disapprovingly.

“Get the hell out of my way,” Mitch hissed, swinging his arm out.

“Now that’s not very polite!” Abel wildly swung at them, attacking like an unstable animal. 

“Rosie! Sic him!” Marlon cried out as he sprinted across the deck to help. 

Rosie barked in approval before lunging at David. Her teeth sunk deeply into David’s leg, viciously biting through his pants. Blood splattered everywhere as her teeth continuously tore his leg to shreds. David screamed in pain before releasing Aasim to kick Rosie aside. She yelped in pain as David’s boot sank deep into her gut. 

“You bastard!” Marlon yelled, lunging towards David and hitting him hard against the skull with his sword hilt. David staggered back before unsheathing his own knife. 

“You’ll pay for that!” David’s voice took on a deadly tone. His knife shone in the light as he menacingly walked toward Marlon.

Marlon felt his legs shaking beneath him. He quickly pushed his fear down though as his rapier jabbed towards David. David blocked it with ease, punching Marlon square in the jaw and causing him to stumble backwards. Blood slipped out of Marlon’s mouth as he brushed a hand against his mouth. Marlon felt his anger burning inside him, his determination bleeding through his arm as he swung out once more. He wouldn’t give his opponent any chance of hurting any more of the crew.

Willy had disappeared from Omar’s side and decided against all better judgement to run over to Brody and Mitch. His eyes widened as he realized the trouble the two were in. Abel had just landed an attack on Brody, cutting her stomach as his blade flew by. Willy knew he needed to act now before Brody’s injuries became more severe. Taking out his dagger, Willy lunged forward with a cry. Abel immediately turned to greet him, blocking his attempt and hitting Willy across the face. He was sent sliding back across the deck with a pained cry.

“You bastard!” Mitch's voice cracked as an unending rage consumed his eyes. His dagger dug into Abel’s arm, blood spurting out from the impact. 

Garbage weaseled her way out of Willy's shirt, her beady eyes darting back and forth before landing on Willy’s figure. He laid flat on the deck, groaning as he tried to regain his strength. Garbage looked towards Abel and let out a throaty hiss as she flung herself onto her enemy’s face, biting down on his nose with a loud crunch. 

Abel cursed wildly, frantically trying to get the possum off of his face. 

Mitch and Brody continued their attack. Mitch delivered vicious stabs while Brody continuously drew Abel’s attention back to her. 

After a while Abel started to get worn out, giving Brody the opening she was looking for. With a swift hit to the side of the head, she knocked Abel out. She and Mitch shared a relieved smile before turning their attention back towards Willy and the rest of the crew.

The Ericson Pirates were barely holding on, desperately fighting off the incoming waves of attacks. It seemed like Lilly had a never-ending supply of pirates at her disposal. For every man they took out, two more appeared to replace them. It seemed inevitable that they would lose. Then suddenly Lilly’s ship caught on fire.


	3. Chapter 3

Prisha’s gaze fell upon the cavalry saber that was hovering above her. How was she going to get out of this? Her weapon laid out of reach while Minerva stood ready to cut her down. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Clementine struggle against Lilly. 

Lilly’s dual wielding was a terrifying reality to deal with. For every attack that Clementine blocked another one was sure to follow, striking at her weakest points. Clementine was barely holding back Lilly’s attacks. Her eyes were plagued by the fear of death loomed threateningly over her. 

“Prisha!” Violet's shaky voice caused Prisha to focus back in front of her. Violet had landed hard on her feet. She jumped in front of Prisha, blocking Minerva’s attack. Her meat cleaver shook as she struggled to hold off the saber. “Minnie, stop this! Sophie wouldn’t want this: all of us fighting and hurting each other!” Violet's voice faded out near the end as tears threatened to escape. Her throat burned harshly as both of her hands tried to hold up the meat cleaver.

“Don’t speak her name!” Minerva hissed, her foot brutally kicking against Violet. Violet’s leg gave out, causing her to fall onto one knee.“Everything I’ve done is for her! For you! For the others!” Her glare deepened as she stared at Violet.

Violet struggled to get up. Using all of her might, she pushed the saber back, giving her a moment to regain her footing. Violet’s eyes stung with unshed tears. “What happened to you?! Where’s the Minnie who hated all this? The violence? The bloodshed?” Violet’s voice wavered, her eyes searching Minnie’s desperately for answers, hoping that the ones she feared wouldn’t be true.

“She died the day Sophie did.” Minerva’s voice was monotone, all life draining from her face, replaced by a ruthless rage.

Violet's face hardened as she stepped back, making Minerva stumble forward. Violet’s ears picked up on the sound of Prisha retrieving her blade. Violet immediately went on the offense. Her meat cleaver hit against Minerva’s cavalry saber, trying to give Prisha time to look for an opening. 

Minerva wasn’t strategizing any more. She struck out wildly, jabbing her blade forward and knocking Violet off balance. 

Prisha dashed forward, blocking a deadly attack meant for Violet before using the butt of her blade to slam into Minerva’s hand. It cracked on impact, forcing Minerva to drop her saber as she hissed in pain. 

Violet’s foot shot forward, knocking the wind out of Minerva. 

Prisha used the blunt side of her blade once more, knocking Minerva to the ground. 

Violet gave a shaky sigh before looking over at Prisha with concern. “Are you okay?” 

“Yes, I’ll be fine.” Prisha’s smile grew when she saw Violet’s shoulders relax.

Violet gave a small smile before Minerva suddenly stood back up.

Prisha tried to react into time, but it was too late. Minerva let out a cold-blooded cry as she tackled Violet, pushing her backwards all the way till she had pinned her against the side of the ship. Violet gasped, her hands desperately trying to reach up and release Minerva’s arms from her throat. Violet felt her head spin as she struggled to breathe. 

“Violet!” Prisha shouted, sprinting over to help tear Minerva off.  
But before she could get over there, the side of ship Violet was on went up in a sea of flames. An earth-shattering explosion caused the fighting to cease for a moment as everyone’s attention shot toward the sound. 

“VIOLET!” Prisha's voice cracked as she raced over towards where Violet once was. Flames brushed up against her skin while she looked, threatening to burn her at any moment. She didn’t seem to feel the heat though. All she could think about was finding Violet. Her heart raced as each minute passed. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears as her eyes scanned the area that was now overcome with flames. _No, I can’t lose her!_ Prisha thought, her hand shaking while her eyes darted back and forth, searching every inch of the burning ship.  
After minutes of searching, her heart dropped, An overwhelming fear consumed her thoughts. Was Violet… gone?

All of a sudden she noticed a familiar color appear for a moment in front of her eyes. Violet’s blonde hair blew softly in the wind. Prisha ran forward to rescue her. As she drew closer, Prisha felt her gut tighten. There, against one of the masts, was Violet. She was hunched over and passed out. Her clothes were scorched from the nearby flames.As Prisha drew nearer, she noticed how truly severe Violet’s injuries were. Burn marks surrounded her eyes, covering her face in charred skin. The skin was beginning to peel away at the slight breeze in the air. 

Prisha quickly ran over and carefully helped her up. It was a frustrating struggle as Prisha desperately tried to lift Violet’s unconscious body up with her one good arm. After a few attempts she had successfully draped Violet across her shoulder. Prisha’s feet were shaky as she made her way over to the other side of Lilly’s ship. 

“Clem! Help!” Prisha cried out. She was unsure whether Clementine had been able to hold off Lilly’s attack or even get out of the explosion’s range. Prisha felt her grip slip as she desperately tried to hold up Violet. 

A figure made their way through the smoke. Clementine ran over when she recognized Prisha only to freeze as she saw Violet’s scorched condition. “Oh my god, Violet! What happened to her?” Clementine's voice cracked with concern, her eyes focused on Violet who was slumped over, unconscious but still breathing. 

“The explosion. She got...” Prisha’s voice faded out. She drew a shaky breath and tried again. “She got caught in it.” 

“We have to get to the other side.” Clementine instructed. She helped Prisha and Violet up onto the edge of the ship. Grabbing a rope, she safely secured Violet to Prisha before handing the rope over to Prisha to swing over. “As soon as you’re on the other side, tell Louis to cut the last ropes connecting the ships. I’ll be right behind you.” 

Prisha looked concerned but nodded anyway before swinging over. 

Clementine grabbed onto the other rope and got in position to swing over when suddenly a burning sensation shot up her left leg. Clementine cried out in pain. Her eyes traveled down to see a cavalry saber sticking out of her leg. 

A hand held desperately onto the sword; Minerva was clutching onto it with a crazed smile. The left side of her face was covered with burns. “I’ll get them back. I swear!” Minerva’s voice rang out across the burning ship.

Clementine stepped back, kicking her right leg to give herself enough momentum to swing over. The sword squelched inside her leg, wiggling free and falling into the sea. Clementine barely made it over to Ol’ Kickass before all the adrenaline left her system, causing her body to go limp. 

“Clem!” Louis cried out, catching her before she hit the deck. His eyes widened in horror at the sight of her leg. It had been cut all the way down to the bone. The muscles in her leg were torn and broken and blood was pouring out of it, covering the damaged area and seeping into her clothes. “Ruby! Help!” Louis pleaded, picking up Clementine and carrying her in his arms. 

“Marlon, get us the fuck out of here!” Mitch shouted towards Marlon who was manning the wheel. Marlon followed the order immediately, cranking the wheel to turn the ship around. Ol’ Kickass quickly moved past Lilly’s burning ship whose crew members all stood injured and battered from the chaotic battle, watching the Ericson Pirates as they escaped onto the open sea. They wouldn’t be following them anytime soon.


	4. Chapter 4

“Put her over there,” Ruby guided Louis into the captain’s quarter, instructing him to place Clementine down on the bed in the captain’s quarters. She immediately began to tend to Clementine’s wound even though she knew that it was a long shot that Clementine would be able to keep her leg. Ruby had to prioritize making sure Clementine was stable. Only then could she determine whether or not she would be keeping the leg. 

Louis paced back and forth, his mind a jumbled mess. _My crew. My family. How many of them got hurt today? It’s all my fault._ Louis' eyes became blurry with tears as he continued to mentally beat himself up for his shortcomings as captain.

Aasim burst into the room, holding the supplies Ruby needed. The two of them began to discuss how they were going to deal with all the injuries spread throughout the crew. As Ruby and Aasim worked to stabilize Clementine, 

Louis was able to get his voice to work again. “Is there anything I can do?”

Ruby glanced up at Louis before returning her gaze to Clementine’s bloodied leg. “The best thing you can do now is help the others. With Clem’s leg and Violet’s eyes... I don’t know when I’ll be able to get to them.” Ruby's voice was weary, her eyes sorrowful as she examined the messed up leg. 

_Holy shit. Vi!_ Louis couldn’t believe that he had forgotten about her. His legs raced through the lower deck while his eyes searched for the right door. He quickly slammed open the door to one of the crew’s sleeping quarters that had been turned into a medic bay. 

Prisha sat by Violet’s hammock holding her hand. When she looked up to see who had made the noise, Louis could tell she had been crying. “Louis... Are you here to check on Violet?” Prisha’s voice sounded hollow. 

“Yeah. How’s she doing?” Louis' throat felt tight and unnaturally tense. He made his way over to see her. His eyes were plagued with a mixture of disbelief and sadness as he saw his best friend lying in the hammock. Both of her eyes were littered with burn marks. The color of the scorched flesh clashed against her skin. 

“She’s…” Prisha’s voice faded out. “Ruby said her eyes aren’t infected.” 

“That’s good.” Louis tried to sound optimistic but his tone betrayed him.

Both of them stared at Violet in silence while she laid there in the hammock asleep. Her slow, rhythmic breathing was the only sound in the room. 

Louis stayed there for a few minutes in the suffocating silence before leaving. He quietly made his way around the ship. He wanted to make sure that all the injuries were taken care of so that Ruby could focus on the two most dire cases. After about an hour of bandaging wounds and making sure everyone was safe, he came back to see Prisha still sitting by Violet’s side. He sat down next to her, not sure what to say. Neither of them talked.

The silence was only broken when Ruby walked in carrying some bandages and medicine. “Oh, Louis! Glad I found you. Clem’s stable for now, but we need to get more medical supplies for everyone. Marlon’s steering us toward the nearest port town.”

Louis let out a sigh of relief. Then the words fully processed in his mind. 

“Wait. What do you mean ‘for now’?” he asked, concern etched on his face. 

“This is a tricky injury. It could get infected and if it does then she may have to lose the leg.” Ruby's voice was shaky. “It’ll be the only way to save her life if the infection gets in.”

“Lose her leg?” Louis’ voice cracked in disbelief. He felt his heart stop. This can’t be real. He felt his head spinning before everything grew dark and he passed out. 

Ruby stood shocked by what just happened. “Aasim! Come help me!” she yelled into the hallway. Aasim sprinted in and quickly assisted in lifting Louis onto one of the hammocks. Ruby examined Louis’ shoulder, letting out a series of swears when she saw the injury. It seemed that the bullet had done more damage than he let on. He must have been bleeding this entire time. After a few minutes she was able to patch him up and stop the bleeding. Letting out a sigh of relief, Ruby turned towards Prisha. “I need to see your injury too.” 

Prisha shook her head. “Not before you take care of Violet.” Prisha's tone was resolute. Ruby glanced down at the blood that slowly dripped down Prisha’s side. It had created a small pool by her feet. Ruby sighed in frustration. It was clear that Prisha wouldn’t budge on this.

Violet began to stir.“Pri… sha?” She asked, wincing in pain. 

Prisha squeezed Violet’s hand. “I’m here. It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.” Prisha's voice was shaky; she hoped Violet wouldn’t notice. 

“I-I can’t see. Everything is so fuzzy.” Violet’s voice was coated with fear.

“Shit.” Ruby mumbled in frustration before turning to Aasim. “Go, get Mitch. We’re going to need him for this.” 

Aasim quickly exited the room, running down the hall.

 _It would’ve been better if she was asleep for this,_ Ruby thought to herself before turning to Violet and placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Violet, you got hurt in the explosion. I’m going to need you to be strong while I clean your eyes. I already did it once but I need to do it again. It’s going to hurt like hell. But if I don’t do it, your eyes will get infected.” 

Violet shifted, groaning in pain before responding. “Okay. Let’s do it then.” 

Just then, Aasim ran in the room along with Mitch. 

“Alright, you two. I’m going to need you to go on either side of Violet and hold her down. This is going to hurt so I need you to make sure Violet doesn’t move too much.” 

Mitch and Aasim shared a worried look before quickly going on either side of Violet to hold her steady. 

“Prisha, I’m going to need you to move. There’s too many people in here as it is and I’ve got to make sure I clean her eyes properly.”  
Prisha wanted to object but saw the fiery look in Ruby’s eyes. She figured Ruby knew what was best and reluctantly agreed.

“I’ll be right outside, Violet.” She whispered to her girlfriend, squeezing Violet’s hand one last time before exiting. 

“Violet, I’m going to apply it on three, okay?”

Violet nodded, her body tensing up while she braced herself for the upcoming pain.

“One, two... three.” Ruby pressed the cloth against Violet’s face. She tried to get the process done as quickly as she could while still making sure to thoroughly clean the injury. 

Violet screamed out in unbearable pain. “FUUUUUCK! AAAAAAH!” Violet started kicking the air and writhing in pain. Tears streamed down her face as she cried out. It felt like every inch of her face was on fire.The feeling only seemed to become stronger with each passing moment. The only thought going through her head was how much it hurt. With every passing second she begged for it to stop only for the pain to remain constant and unrelenting. 

After a couple minutes Violet stopped squirming, her energy now depleted and her tolerance shattered. Her body lay still on the hammock as it swayed back and forth with the waves. Her eyes refused to stop the tears that were rolling down her face. Quiet, muffled sobs were the only other sound in the room as she repeated the same line again and again, not realizing that the process was already finished. “It hurts. Please stop. It hurts.”

As soon as the cleaning was done and Violet’s eyes had been bandaged, Mitch stormed out of the room, shaking as he thought over what just happened. He tried to calm his heart rate by breathing in and out like Clementine and Ruby had shown the crew, but it wasn’t working. Suddenly he heard a sniffle from around the corner. Curious, he walked over only to be surprised by who was crying. It was Brody.

“Oh, shit. Mitch, I’m sorry. I thought I was getting better, but it’s happening again.” Brody whispered through tears as her entire body shook. She tried to squeeze her arms around her own body, hoping that it would stop the panic attack, but it seemed to do no good. 

Mitch stood in front of her for a moment before sweeping Brody up in a tight hug. 

She winced slightly at the pressure added on to her bandaged abdomen but her attention was soon drawn elsewhere. She could feel Mitch shaking as he held her tightly in his arms. “What are you doing?” Brody’s voice wavered as she looked up at Mitch.

“I heard that tight hugs can help with the attacks, so I just thought…” Mitch trailed off, unsure of what to say next.  
Brody leaned into the hug and let herself cry even harder. Her sobs were loud in Mitch’s ears. “So many of us got hurt. We almost lost Violet and Clem. I’m just… I was so scared.” Brody mumbled through rough sobs.

“I was scared shitless. I mean, I’ve known Violet since we were kids.” Mitch paused to take a deep breath before continuing. “When I saw her in that much pain... it hurt like hell.” His eyes threatened to shed tears. _Shit, I can’t start crying._

Brody looked over at him. 

Mitch turned his head away, embarrassed by his watery eyes. “But we survived.” His voice had an optimistic edge to it. “We all did. Everyone is safe now and that’s what matters.” 

Brody gave a small smile at Mitch’s words before nodding. “Yeah. As long as we all have each other we’ll be fine.”


End file.
